I’ve monitored Russian soldiers for 3.5 years. The system is finally cracking
What looks like stability is just the residue of fear and habit.
Browsing Tag
mobilization
176 posts
Promised “safe service,” Ukrainians in occupied Kherson are thrown into Russia’s front-line meat grinder to fight against their own people
Despite assurances they would not see combat, at least thousands of men drafted by Russia in the occupied region are being sent into active fighting after short training.
Crimean deputies train for combat in private army that deploys twenty buses to front
Fighters lack legal status, won't receive veteran benefits despite combat duty.
Putin shifts Russia to year-round conscription after 346,000 losses in 2025
The new legislation requires military enlistment offices to process recruits continuously throughout the year, eliminating seasonal breaks.
ISW warns: Kremlin prepares to mobilize reservists without formal call‑up as its paid recruitment system collapses
A single draft amendment erases the last legal barrier to sending reservists into combat on a rolling basis.
Ukraine captures Indian fighting for Russia — he says Moscow swapped his drug sentence for a rifle
Once in Russian hands, the 22‑year‑old says he endured empty promises of cash, a rushed 16‑day training, and an assault mission he allegedly never wanted.
ISW: Putin orders semi-annual draft while turning conscription into year-round bureaucracy to dodge mobilization bottlenecks
A shift that could let Russia tap more reservists later without public mobilization shock.
New front opens for unexpected category of Ukrainians — yet joining remains choice, not command
Volunteers can sign one-year contracts after health checks.
Ukraine’s draft evasion problem is a symptom of a deeper crisis
Why do Ukrainian men refuse mobilization, hide in their homes, and let their wives, sisters, and mothers do the everyday heavy lifting? Why does Ukraine’s mobilization system no longer work?
Poland warns dual citizens at risk of forced mobilization in Russia
Polish-Russian civilians risk forced enlistment under wartime mobilization.
From thieves to heroes: 100 Ukrainian women with criminal records now serve in army
A legal loophole gives imprisoned women like Halyna and Alvina a way out of prison bars.
“He will risk everything in Ukraine”: Putin may be preparing for even harsher war in Ukraine after Trump’s ultimatum
Even with a collapsing economy and the threat of international isolation, Putin is poised to escalate his war. As Foreign Affairs puts it: the Kremlin leader will go to “extreme lengths” to avoid losing in Ukraine.
ISW: Russia’s war effort now runs on crypto-mobilization and censored death stats
Rosstat disappears mortality data just as Putin calls for more volunteers to defend “values.”
How Ukraine can win, p.5: Russia is winning the recruitment war. That’s also how it could lose.
The vibes at the massacre are good—but it's costing Russia a fortune.
“We’re standing, and we will keep standing,” Ukrainian pilot dismisses talk of peace with Russia as illusion
While Kremlin boasts advances and claims Ukraine as its own, frontline pilot Apostol calls for reinforcements.
Putin shuts curtain on Russia’s reality — new law bans disclosure of war and economic data
From economic figures to mobilization plans, Russia seals off knowledge as external pressures mount.
With or without truce, Russia’s war with Ukraine heading for freeze, analyst says
Russia is losing over a thousand daily for meager gains, but they still recruit more. Barring "major power shift," the war's intensity will decline, according to Tatarigami
Victory at any cost: Moscow will drain its people to feed front, expert says
As Russia ramps up its propaganda machine ahead of 9 May celebrations, military expert Serhii Hrabskyi warns that the Kremlin will go to extreme lengths to sustain its war effort — even at the expense of its own people.
UK intel: Foreigners make up minor share of Russian army recruitment
Despite relying mainly on domestic recruits, Russia will likely continue limited foreign recruitment to compensate battlefield losses while avoiding a second mass mobilization campaign.
Ukraine braces for Russian spring offensive as Moscow reinforces troops with 150,000 soldiers
As Russian units regroup and intensify pressure on key frontlines, concerns grow over the sustainability of Ukraine’s defensive capabilities.